Scarlet Lyrical
by YoyoWarrior
Summary: AU Kairi/Naminé KairiPOV Two girls come together unexpectedly in a world that is out of their control. They become friends, they fall in love, and they put each other's fractured worlds back together again, piece by piece.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello and welcome to the world of Scarlet Lyrical! Glad you could make it. I come to you now appealing to your good natures and pity for a poor girl like me, with this request: Please do not deprive the world of Kairi/Naminé stories. There are 6 pages on the search. 6 Pages! Now I knew that it would not be right for me to complain unless I contributed which is why we are here today. This is a multichapter femslash of the pair. It's my obsession, my love, what I think about day and night. This 'Universe' is something very personal to me and something I have put alot of thought into. Alot of seemingly small details become big things later, so pay attention to everything.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making money, just going for sick pleasure.

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How did it -- how did we end up like this? There's just too many thoughts. It seems you always make me like this; scared confused, at loss for thoughts, words, and feelings.

I used to read so much. Harlequin romances. The sort of things that make all teenaged girls weak at the knees, aching. I ached too, you know? I guess it'd be ridiculous at this point to say I craved a firm hand or a stubbly chin. No, that's not what I wanted. While all the other girls were drooling over a shirtless athlete, or making out with disposable sex-hound boyfriends, I was aching for something more selfish. I just wanted that feeling. I ached to ache. I often wondered why I couldn't be as ridiculous as they could. Why couldn't I love the first thing that offered me a kind word? Sure I could try, I could pretend, but that pain wasn't there, that absolute aching love they write about in all the romance novels. I wanted that. I wanted it so bad I could've cried. It's not even a sex thing. I wanted--

You know it doesn't even mater.

It was summer. For some reason a very cold one, I remember. The last snow had been in May and at the end of June the waters were still cold as ice. Just another summer, like a million before it. I was looking forward to late nights and even later mornings. It was a sad kind of melancholy.

I know you might find it hard to believe but you really brightened up my world, made all the melancholy go away. Suddenly I was excited to get up in the morning just so I might so much as _see_ you. I was on an energy high. I would run out the doors in the morning singing. Can you believe that? Me? Singing? Everyone must have been laughing. But I couldn't help but laugh too.

You made me feel for the first time. You made me ache. You made me cry. You made me sing. You made me love you.

**~ Scarlet Lyrical ~**

It was like a scene from a third rate family comedy. The three of us were standing on top of lawn chairs for a better view over the fence, shushing each other so we wouldn't get caught, and failing to notice our rapidly depleting popsicles until blue slush was dripping from our elbows.

We _had _to spy though. Sora, Riku, and I had been looking forward to this day for a whole week, ever since a less than new Chevy creeped its way up Sora's neighbor's drive way with a parking pass stuck to the windshield. He'd knew that they'd be getting new neighbors for a while now, but not one our age. We were about to be juniors in a class that was threatening to drop below forty; this was a big deal.

"I hope it will be a girl." Sora pouted. As the shortest of the three of he had to rest his chin on one of the pikes of the fence to see over. He looked childishly adorable dribbling sticky blue liquid. He licked around his lips to try and mop it up, only succeeding in creating a sweet little rim. I cooed at him and wiped at his chin with the sleeve of my hoodie.

"So do I. It'd be nice to have an actual girl to hang out with." I sighed, and shook my head, "You guys never want to see any good movies."

He batted my hand away, "You're wrong Kairi. I don't know any one who would ever want to see one of those played out 'romantic comedies', 'sept for Riku of course. What's your favorite movie again? _Serendipity_?" Sora laughed with that sweet little bubbling laugh he had before returning to his serious spy stance.

"_Serendipity_'s a good movie. Shut up." I pointed a dripping popsicle stick at him. "It's not sappy like most romance movies either. It's sophisticated and realistic."

"Realistic?" He babbled and shook his head, "Never mind, I hope it's a guy."

"You sure seem to know a lot about a movie you hate." Riku said quietly never letting his pale eyes leave the road. He was older than us, he was going to be a senior and never let us forget it, somehow he always made offering for help look like an insult, and he was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. We made out once, while watching his little sister perform in a school play, and never spoke of it again. Just like we never spoke about the time we went skinny dipping or the time we fooled around in his room.

"Puh! A good warrior knows his enemies well. Research! At least I didn't like the stupid thing." Sora muttered trying to edge his way around me to get to Riku.

"Sure I like it." He smiled, "I lost my virginity watching that movie."

"What!" Sora stammered and back away awkwardly, face flushed, "You're kidding me right?"

Just then, in the corner, I saw it. A moving van. A shock of electricity ran up my spine. That could be anyone. Anyone in the world could be in that van. I almost didn't want it to come closer, and be disappointed with come pimply faced boy who snorted when he laughed. I wanted magic. I wanted beauty.

Breath caught in my throat as it approached. It felt like everything was moving so slow. Even Sora and Riku had stopped dead in their tracks to watch this wondrous things' approach. After what seemed like ages of agony there was a muted bump that brought me out of my stupor, sped things up again. The wheels had hit concrete. The van was home. It was really real now.

A dark haired man got out of the driver's seat followed by a few other men. I waited patiently for the family to come out.

"Hey Riku?" Sora had his eyes glued on the van as well, "Where is everybody?"

He laughed a little, "Driving here I assume. You guys didn't seriously think they would come in the moving van?"

"Riku you asshole!" I shouted, my heart was already broken he didn't have to rub salt in the wound, "Why do you have to be such a jerk about every little thing!?!" I shoved him a little harder than I'd meant to sending us both tumbling off of our lawn chairs and painfully landing in a heap of limbs and metal on the ground.

"Ow. Sorry." I whispered almost inaudibly, "That was a little bit of an over reaction…" I suddenly flushed noticing my position _on top of him _and tried to back away but he held me close and made an exaggerated purring noise in my ear.

"As if you're actually regretting it…" He nipped at my ear, eliciting an unsolicited giggle.

"Hey guys!" Sora hissed sending us a really dirty look, "Stop fooling around and get up here. A car's pulling into the drive!"

We shot straight up off the ground and scrambled to put the chairs back up again to no avail. They had taken a rather nasty fall as well and weren't fully recovered. I kicked at them in frustration.

"Dammit Riku! Look at what you've d--" I screamed as he ducked down between my legs and with an athlete's strength, lifted me up on his shoulders and walked over to the fence.

He ran a wayward hand over my thigh, "Always remember that I love you." Riku laughed a throaty laugh that vibrated painfully close to my groin.

I laughed nervously, "Yeah, yeah…"

Sora sent us a deathly glare, "Quiet. Or. They. Will. Hear. Us," he muttered through clenched teeth, and we went quiet after I almost fell off of Riku while he was orchestrating an emphatic mock salute.

The sound of the engine turned off and we all went completely quiet. I cursed those tinted windows that kept me form seeing what I was sure would be a disappointment. I even forgot about the boys around me as I looked intensely at that little car.

A door opened and my heart skipped a beat. A short blond man walked out. He was middle-aged and looking somewhat out of place dressed in Hawaiian print swim shorts and an old wife-beater. Despite his 'outdoorsy' outfit, his chronic lack of tan, bookish glasses, and silver Rolex spoke of someone who never left the office.

Not who I was looking for. Moving on. I registered the sound of another door opening, but it was on the other side of the car so I couldn't see who it was. The person stood up and my eyes hit the back of their head. They had nice hair! It was long and blonde. Natural blonde probably after seeing the father. Probably its father. Hopefully it's father. The hair was let down so I knew there was a possibility that it could just be a boy with long pretty hair, but judging by their height it was probably a girl. Not even Sora was that petite.

Then she turned. She was definitely a she. No man, no matter how beautiful could look like that. Hardly any woman could either. She was just gorgeous. Big huge blue eyes. No not blue, opal. They were iridescent, I swear, framed with luxurious lashes that brushed on her pale cheeks as she blinked and cast spidery shadows in the long morning sunlight. She had a little button nose that sat childishly small against her large eyes, smooth arching eyebrow, and god those lips. My mind kept drifting to how soft they must be no matter how much I tried to focus else where, or how smoothly they must move forming words and smiling, pulled over her even tended white teeth.

"She's beautiful," I could feel my voice coming in hoarse whisper, scarcely believing the words could come out of my mouth, that I could speak of this ethereal creature before me, this fallen angel, this goddess. Sora said something but I didn't hear him, I was to busy watching her uncover herself from behind the shiny black car, but quickly looked away as I noticed my eyes following the way her heart-shaped behind moved against the just-tight-enough white dress. Of course I was weak enough to look back and linger.

She was walking away from me. One tiny stride at a time, little footsteps on pavement. I couldn't just let this girl leave. I just couldn't. I wasn't so busy thinking about whys. I just knew that, well knowing didn't matter so much at all. So I didn't focus on thoughts. Thoughts would have betrayed me, told me words I wouldn't want to hear. So I yelled for her, let those feelings bubble out of my mouth, let my heart call out to her.

Her sweet childish eyes turned toward me and I almost choked as our eyes locked. Looking at me! For even a second those eyes were on me. I wonder if she thought I was some crazy person and would run away, I wondered if she would just disappear with the sudden contact to the world of the mortals, but I hoped-- I hoped the strangest things.

The silence was harsh and she looked uncomfortable, but patient. Good. She didn't hate me. The thought ruptured into an animalistic smile, and I heard a sound I didn't even know I could make escape my mouth before clearing my throat.

"Hey!" I said as friendly and non-threateningly as I could manage. I was somehow afraid she'd skitter off like a dear if I was too forward, even the loudness of my voice made me wince.

Her pretty mouth tilted into a smile. A wonderful smile! With the whitest straightest teeth. She let her head fall and looked to me through thin blonde bangs. "Hey…" her voice came out so soft and innocent and shy, like a little girl talking to a stranger. I didn't like the thought.

"I'm Kairi! What's your name?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I sounded like such a dork. A creeper. I wouldn't have been surprised if she simply screamed and high-tailed it out of there. Moved-away even, just to haunt me a pretty little face etched on the back of my eyelids from a seconds encounter.

She looked down again not meeting my eyes. But I could see it. I could see it! A smile. She looked up sweetly, bravely, cheeks flushed and lips stretched wide in a heart-breaking smile. "Naminé." It ghosted out of her lips, bubbly and happy. She looked so sweet. The name echoed on my lips. I formed the letters silently and they fit more naturally than I figured they would. Naminé. Naminé. Naminé. It was perfect. She was perfect.

The little nymph, the little angel, the little godling had finally had enough of this tortuous exchange. She turned with a sweet halting laugh and ran into the house she now was going to inhabit, and I almost could feel the earth shake with those little steeps. The vibration ran up my spine and I knew it was her. She was enchanting me, daring me, bewitching me. And I didn't care.

***

"So did you see a wedding ring on the dad's finger?" Sora's mother piqued out softly as she turned from the counter-top blender.

"Mom! Is that all you heard? Just a man blah blah blah Rolex blah blah blah nice car?" Sora reached out as what at least looked like a smoothie was placed in his hands.

We were all at Sora's house, as usual, gathered around his sweet little kitchen table. Sora, Riku, and I had been friends since before I can remember, and since before I could remember, it was always this house, this kitchen, and Sora's adorable mother fussing around us. She was someone I really admired and even liked as a friend. She became a mother as young as nineteen to two sons. She'd never tell us exactly old she was when she had her kids and never how old she currently was. The woman was very much a child in an adult's body, always obsessing over petty things like wrinkles and flowers. She was the sort of mother that would buy her kids alcohol just to be friends with them. That that she ever had.

"Honey, honey, honey, I'm going to have to do something once my boys up and leave me. Alone." She fettered around in her kitchen slippers and apron, moving back to make another smoothie loaded with gobs of strawberry chunk sherbet. It was always Sora first, then me, then Riku. Flesh and blood, the girl, then Riku.

"So you want to 'do' the neighbor?" Riku asked innocently receiving a smack on the back of the head. Yet she didn't say no.

"What about the girl? Was she nice? Is she in your year?" Her little feet puttered across the tile to deposit a glass of pink goop in front of me.

"She was beautiful." I heard myself say.

"Yah, Kairi, heard you the last ten times." Sora slurped, "She wasn't ugly or nothing though. I kinda think she's a ghost, or Roxas' long lost twin."

I guess I'd talked about her a lot since we'd gotten back, and thought about her even more. Naminé. She was just next door, probably settling down in her room, opening boxes, and creating a new world to live in. I wanted to be there with her, watching her slender fingers cut through tape, watching her arms go taught as she lifted something heavy, watching her face set in concentration as she thought about where a desk would go, or whether putting her bed in a certain spot would cover up the vent. I wanted to see what she'd put in her room. Would she have trophies, ballet shoes, maybe even a stuffed animal or two? I just wanted to immerse my self in her. Things that had her scent. Things she loved. Things that she touched.

At the same time I wanted all these things from her I also didn't. It was so strange. I wanted to walk into that house and capture her forever and also throw her on the moving van, off to fall into someone else's life.

I didn't even know her beyond a stray look and a few words and yet my mind was going crazy. I was thinking of scenarios, day dreaming of the most mundane things, like painting her toenails or having a sleep over. It was like I was becoming a stalker. I mean it has to happen to a good and knowing someone for there to even be a such thing as a stalker in the first place. Would I start rummaging through her garbage and spying on her at night? Would it be so bad if I did?

Argh. I was feeling so odd. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to see her so bad it hurt, but I didn't want it to lead to a life time of suffering. The desire to be near her was too intense to be natural. I've seen girls before. I've seen pretty girls before. Why all of the sudden did I want to lick this one's shoes. The sensation couldn't be natural. I must have been sick or bewitched.

"Kairi? You going to come?" Riku, who had somehow risen out of his chair and across the room without my noticing, asked.

"Come where?" I tried to neutralize my voice; somehow it became all tangled up in my thoughts.

He rolled his eyes, "Sora's mom wants to invite the new people over for smoothies or something. Pay attention." Come to mention it, they were all standing up poised to leave. I had an annoying ability to block things out sometimes.

I smiled "You know maybe I'll just stay here, you know, man the fort."

"Roxas already called that. Now get out of my house and look like a cute little girl for our new neighbor and his daughter." Sora's mother threatened through an infallible smile. She turned on her heel with the determination of a spoiled toddler and started leaving. Sora didn't miss a beat and followed. Riku stayed long enough to shrug before trailing after them.

The child in me didn't want to be told what to do like that. I thought about being petulant for a moment. I guess I was a little afraid too. I didn't want to see her. Well actually I wanted to see her, but I didn't _want to_, want to see her. I was asked to though and I really shouldn't deny such a simple task. It was inevitable really. No use fighting it. None at all.

My feet moved on their own tapping over tile and then muted in the living room carpet. I caught up with Riku at the end of the drive way. He'd held back for me while Sora and his mother walked quickly over the sidewalk. Sora's mom was still wearing her kitchen slippers and her cute little apron. She was really such an adorable woman.

Riku and I walked side by side, silent, behind them. He was always very good at having alternating boughts of being wildly inappropriate and then knowing just the right thing to say, or not to.

As we got closer it seemed like I was walking slower and slower until one of Riku's pretty slim hands touched me lightly on my lower back. Determined not to be lead I stomped quickly onward. The distance had never seemed so long.

Sora's cute mom knocked on the door sweetly with a bob of her head. 'More personal than doorbells.' she claimed. The moving van had already left, but the nice sparkly new car that Naminé's father drove and the beat up Chevy were still in the drive way. The parking pass laden car was red. That spoke for a wild heart.

It took a while for someone to answer the door but Sora's mother still refused to use the doorbell. First impressions and what-not. Finally the door screeched open to reveal bleary bright be-speckled blue eyes. Not her.

The man blinked a little bit. He was short and hunched over a little making him look even shorter. Riku easily surpassed him in height and I couldn't tell whether I was taller than him or not. Sora's mother gave him a bright smile which seemed out of place. It was completely dark in the house. And he almost appeared to glow in all his whiteness, like some ocean floor fish with see-through skin and blind blue eyes. His eyes looked even more obscenely bright because of the dark purple circles around them.

He blinked slowly, face looking tiredly over the pitcher the half-insane woman in front of him held up. Then walked inside slightly to hold open the door. He didn't look all that happy to be having company. Sora's mom didn't notice however and trod in then turned on the light comfortably.

"Come in kids," she said through a permanent smile, "Hello! I'm your neighbor over in the blue house. This is one of my sons Sora, and his little friends Riku and Kairi. I just thought we'd be neighborly and offer you something _cool _to drink. We were making it anyway. Where's your little girl? I'm sure the kids would just love to play together."

We stayed forever silent and staring. Sora's mother way of being, well, everyone's mother. Kindness, kindness, kindness, and just a way of saying thing that made you feel as though you had to do it. She was also overwhelmingly assertive at times. She would always say that you cared less and less what people thought as you aged, but I still maintain she was born owning the entire world.

The blond man didn't seem to be even a little unnerved however. He took orders like a pro, gesturing smoothly to some stairs then walking towards the kitchen. This house had a very similar floor plan to Sora's house, if inverted. The kitchen windows would probably sit level if it weren't for the rickety wooden fence between them.

The three of us mounted the stairs, single file and silent still. Sora, me, and then Riku; our order. I could hear Sora's mother beneath us gaggling away to an unanswering ear. We kept climbing.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey all! I been writing till my hand hurt to get this out. Another long wordy chapter of Scarlet Lyrical! Fluff next time I promise. It'll be so sweet it'll melt your teeth. I was surprised at the shear volume of hits we got. Alot of you have guilty pleasures I think. Yet we're are still stuck on 6 pages of Kairi/Naminé. Write a fic and I promise I'll reveiw every chapter and give you ad space and a muffin basket or something. Please! I getting the shakes. I need Kairi/Naminé.

On another note I'm looking for a beta. Someone who will work with girly stuffs, like femslash. If you're to affraid to reveiw and be seen in the blasphemy of the yaoi kingdom, just PM me about it.

Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah blah.

Dedicated to my lovely reveiwer Elle-oh-Elle.

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I used to tell Sora and Riku that the three of us fit together so well because we were just broken bits of people. We had bonds of pain and tears that would long outlast any feelings of love we had for each other. I knew that the only thing Sora could remember about his father was that he gave his mother that scar across her collarbone. I knew that Riku thought about killing himself every day after his little sister died, and still regrets the decision not to. They knew my parent's wouldn't care so much if I never came back home. The three of us were so entangled and madly in love with each other. Sometimes I even wondered if we could be like a 'couple' together. You know, polygamist. Hah. When you're young every sort of love is the same. I never realized we didn't have that sort of love.

I'd worry sometimes about what I'd do if I ever had to leave them, go out on my own into the world and find my own path through the chaos. They were the only family I had. The only people I loved and I was afraid that if I couldn't find some way to claim them they'd be lost forever.

I do love you. Remember that. You're broken too. In cute shiny pieces. I'd love you even if you weren't though. But also remember that I love you differently. I think you're beautiful and sexy and talented and so wonderfully alive. There aren't so even words that bring it to justice, I just love you. We're all tangled up. No more Kairi and Naminé. No more silly little girls. No more dresses. No more flowers. No more kisses. We're run and living off love.

**~Scarlet Lyrical * Chapter 2~**

The stairs in her house seemed so long compared to what I was used to. I knew they weren't though. My silly mind had a strange way of elongating some things impossibly long and making others ridiculously short. Of course time still passed, and we found our way to the top of the stair case. Still completely dark.

"Geez, it's like these people are living in a crypt. All dark. Have you ever seen a ghost living in a bright place?" Sora muttered off sarcastically, but his voice was very quiet. Even so it almost seemed to pierce the darkness.

There was an open door at the end of the hallway with light filtering out dully across the gray carpet. It would have been Sora's room if we were in his house. You could see straight into that room from his window. The thought hit me oddly, like I was already tired of it.

Sora trounced across the floor like a puppy dog, leaving Riku and I hanging back with hesitation. Sora could be an awful lot like his mother sometimes, which was all well and good if you were on the receiving end. We unfortunately were dragged along more often than not.

The door screeched open harshly and Sora walked in, Riku and I followed after he gave a quiet knock to the door.

My eyes hit her again with a sudden flush. She always seemed to look as though she'd walked straight out of a painting or a ballet. Her arms were long and slender with soft roundness that just made her form connect seamlessly, a far cry from the harsh lines and jutting bones of boys. I wondered how anyone could prefer a man, no matter how attractive, to so much as one look at a tender hairless thigh, a mouth watering neck with skin as soft as silk.

She was turned from us, legs held tightly together as she looked dead straight out the window. If we'd been in Sora's room we would have been able to see her in all her glory.

It was still morning and light shone shyly through the window, yellow and obnoxiously orange. It cast a rim of light around her pale limp hair and let a long shadow loose on the floor. The shadow creature's head fell on the tips of my sneakers. I wiggled my toes and watched as it wiggled with me.

Naminé didn't even seem to notice that we'd entered. She still stood poised with head held high looking straight ahead. The aura around her made her look like an angel.

"Hey there!" Sora spoke deftly and caused the glorious creature to turn with a start. Two halos of hair spun around to us. Her eyes were open wide for a second in surprise before they settled back down calmly.

The little girl tilted her head into a sweet smile. Just a little tilt to the right and a playful clasp of the hands and I was weak in the knees. It was just so cute.

"Hello there to you too." She smiled without showing her teeth and nodded. Her voice was lilting and soft, like singing a lullaby.

"You're probably wondering what we're doing in your house huh?" Sora plopped himself down in a desk chair and kicked his shoes off. He closed his eyes and placed interlocking fingers behind his head, "My mom's trying to pick up your dad, using smoothies as bait."

Riku helped himself to the bed and sprawled out comfortably, "Yeah and we're supposed to 'play' with you… I'm Riku by the way." He smiled his seductive smile at her for a second before falling back tiredly.

"Oh, yeah! I'm Sora." He smiled and rocked back and forth, "I'm you're new neighbor, these guys are just my entourage. They live far away."

"Well hello, Sora," she turned towards the bed, "Riku," her bright eyes moved towards me and she took a step forward, " Kairi… Do you want to come in?" I hadn't noticed but I was still standing in the door frame, now almost completely engulfed in the ghostly shadow.

"Yeah, Kairi. Plenty of room." Riku patted the bed next to himself and gave me a sly smile. I laughed awkwardly and took a step into the room then curtsied stiffly. I wanted to tell her that he was just a flirt-whore and that we weren't together, but the words wouldn't come out. My mouth was very dry.

"So Naminé, your dad's not married is he? Cause that would just break mom's heart." Sora laughed as he did a little spin and ended up hitting his foot on the desk.

The pretty faced angel looked down for a few long moments, "I guess not…" she crossed her pale arms over her chest for a second before looking up hitting my eyes. "Kairi, won't you sit down or something? There really is room on the bed and the floor's just been steam cleaned."

Her voiced kept such an even pretty tone like some mother goddess arms spread wide and saying 'Come my child.' Yet through all of her even speak, I couldn't manage a single word. Just stared shyly at her beautiful face. I could feel my eyes starting to water so I blinked.

"The desk is also very clean. I don't mind if you sit there." She managed genially after I'd given her a continuing stare as an only response. This attempt faired no better. I watched as she shifted somewhat uncomfortably, looking to her feet then back up at me, hold neither glance all that long.

"The window sill is rather big…" She tried again but her voice was getting smaller, drifting away. She tongued her lip for a moment, her smooth peach colored lip. Her eyebrows flashed for a moment and her long pretty eye lashes came to rest on her cheeks.

"For god's sake just sit down!" Naminé said in what could very loosely be described as a halting shout. She looked adorably angry and I complied, sitting flat on the ground by the door, trying to bite back an amused smile. I pulled the door closed behind me. From my spot on the ground I looked up at her letting my mouth fall open slightly.

She looked at me silently for a long moment eyes on eyes then looked to her feet for a split second then back to me. Floor, eyes, floor, eyes. Naminé had what I interpreted as a nervous compulsion not to hold eye contact for very long.

Her feet ghosted over the floor in a delicate measured stride. Her bare feet touched the carpet, toe first with short pink toes, then smooth heel. People don't usually walk like that, it tends to look odd, but it made her look like dancer.

Naminé walked closer to me with her dancer's foot steps keeping my eye captive. She got closer and closer until I was swallowed in her shadow and looking to her face. On toe she turned to sit by me on the floor, her movement slow and sensuous.

A bare knee ran over my pant leg and I suddenly wished I had worn shorts that day. The idea of skin to skin contact seemed incredibly appealing. She tucked her feet underneath herself and tilted her knees toward me, touching them to me again. Her small hands smoothed her skirt adroitly and I followed the motion, watching those hands run over her small hips and ghosting over a thigh. The fabric was so thin. She could have been sitting next to me naked and it wouldn't have been any different. Her head turned towards me brushing her hair over my shoulder. Pretty blue eyes looked into mine full on, so close and smiling.

"Thank you." She taunted, breath coming hot out of her shapely mouth and spreading over my skin in a warm blanket.

"You're welcome," I spoke huskily surprised that my mouth had finally decided to obey me. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to be cool at all and about spit on her face.

Riku cleared his throat, "So Naminé, you a junior or a senior? Don't say sophomore or we're leaving right now." He was sitting up on the bed now looking mildly intrigued and also like he wasn't trying to get his flirt on.

"I'm a sophomore; I'm going to be a junior in the fall though." She said thoughtfully tilting her head to the side. My side. Her hair was ghosting over my skin again and making me itch to touch it.

"Oh so you're with the girls then," He nodded towards Sora who wrinkled his nose, "I'm a senior, one of a whole 36 of them. There are a few more juniors than that though so you're in luck. Plenty of new friends. We even have a football team. With hunky football players and everything," Riku sounded patronizing, all nudge-nudge, and winks.

"A whole football team? Where do you find the people?" Her bright eyes wrinkled into a smile as she laughed. She must have been from somewhere bigger, which was pretty much every where. It was true though, we had a Varsity football team along with reserves. One whole football team for grades 6-12 and we still couldn't play bigger schools. Still the atmosphere of going to a game was beyond, even if no one was really paying attention to what was happening.

Naminé looked down at her knees and plucked at the hem of her dress. "Do you have an art department?" Her voice was a little shy as she asked.

Sora looked up sweetly after having listening quietly for a while, "Yeah we have an art department, it's kinda DIY though. They just throw you in there with some pencils and paper and just see what happens."

"He's exaggerating. A little. There's more than just pencils and paper, but the teachers really isn't any help. She just sort of reads all hour. And the kiln's about the size of a hat box." Riku smiled his side-ways 'I'm so nice and attractive' smile, "Are you an artist? I'd love to see some of your work."

Her cheeks flushed and she let loose a nervous laugh, "No, not really. I just sketch mostly. Nothing you'd need a kiln for or anything." She smiled and I got the idea she was just being a little modest. Nobody just sketches. It's boring. And what would you sketch?

"Oh, so you _are _an artist. Come on let us see." Riku moved his pretty hands in a 'shooing' gesture. "Trust me. These guys couldn't draw a stick figure. You'll wow them."

"You're one to talk. I haven't seen you draw anything." Sora kicked at the air in Riku's direction.

"It's just assumed that I'm good at everything." Riku said matter-of-factly. "Come on Naminé, don't make me wait."

She turned sweetly to me and grinned, "What do you think Kairi? Should I?" Playful, like we were best friends gossiping over a boy.

"I'd like to see it." I said quietly.

"Well in that case," the girl hopped to her feet and scooted over to the bed. Her pale hands disappeared under the wrought-iron bed frame and come out with a little spiral bound book, and then sat on the bed beside Riku.

Sora scooted his chair clumsily over the carpet to join there little group. And Riku inched closer and closer to Naminé who didn't scoot away.

Naminé looked up, "Kairi, come sit by me." She smiled and beckoned with her hand. As much as I didn't want to I stood and sat by her. Riku's weight on her other side made me lean towards her.

Naminé's slender fingers ran over the cover as she stared at it for a second. I was covered with drawings of little red balloons in a bright blue sky. She traced a balloon with the tip of her finger. Her eyes fell on the little sketch book with something akin to adoration, then took a deep breath and turned the cover.

No good? Hah. What a modest creature Naminé must have been to say such a thing. Pencil work mostly with little sheets of tissue paper in between. Some were fully shaded but most were just strictly detailed little drawings of pretty buildings and trees with every little leaf and piece of bark. There were some people, all women save for one drawing of what looked like her father. There were also an unusual amount of hands. They were all long with jutting bones and manicured ruby red finger nails. The tips were rounded not squared.

We all stayed mostly quiet flipping through her drawings. She never made a comment once. Never explained a drawing, never gave any little pieces of wisdom. She just looked fondly at the textured pieces of paper she'd labored over for so long. I imagined how long she must have had to look at those lines, how long she had to look at these people, or it they even existed. I wondered if they made calluses on her fingers.

Riku was still hovering over her shoulder making little comments that went unanswered. Sora made wows every so often. And I stayed silent with her. Half the time gauging her facial expressions as we came to a new drawing, trying to discover what it meant to her and what it meant about her. Once I caught her eyes looking back at me and looked more carefully after that.

We had to stop after a while. Sora couldn't be mature about looking at nudes. He was getting restless any way.

Sora's mother's voice some found its way up to the room in the muffled form of "Boys!" all of the sudden. We were in between things to do any way and found our way down the stairs. Having a little bit of trouble figuring out the order. Naminé didn't seem to notice our fretting and went down the stairs, solving the problem.

Sora's mom in her apron and kitchen slippers was standing next to the front door with a very tired-looking Naminé's father. Her hands were on her hips and she had a determined look on her face.

"I need you boys to move the piano over here." She said with a nod of her head.

Sora groaned," What? They want the piano? Then they can move it." They had an old piano in there house for years now. Sora's mom was determined to learn how to play and just so happened to come into a piano around that time. I don't know where she got it. I don't ask.

"We're getting a piano?" Naminé blinked and looked over to her father, and shrugged after receiving no response from him. "Fine. You won't have any use for us then will you?"

"Go frolic have fun. We'll take care of this." Oh gag. Riku still flirting. Even had the nerve to do it in front of her cadaver of a father.

"Okay then. Have fun." She giggled and gave him a little wave, "I've got something I want to show you, Kairi, she moved up the stair ahead of me in her short dress, and waved me after her. I followed but not too close.

She led me up stairs and across the carpet in her dancer's movements that were both wonderfully smooth and swift. We crossed the deep dark hall way to one of the side rooms. I'd once wondered why they'd bought a three bedroom house for two people. Inside this little room the walls were all starchy white and the carpeting beige, a little wooden trim separated the two. There was a clear plastic tarp in the middle of the room with a solitary easel on top of it.

"This is supposed to be my studio. I don't have all my stuff in here yet, so it's kind of bare." Naminé ran her hand over the tray. Then looked to me.

"I thought you just sketched." I said listlessly and walked a few tottering steps towards her. There was a smile pulling on the corners of my mouth and it wouldn't go away.

"I said that I mostly just sketch. I paint some times." Her chin dropped towards her chest but her eyes stayed trained on me, "I really haven't heard you speak much. I thought you hated me or something."

"No! I don't hate you!" It came out of my mouth a little louder than I intended, I backtracked, "Just couldn't get a word in edge wise with all of Riku's _friendly _comments."

"I'm sorry are you two…"Naminé's voice drifted off a little as her eyes hit her toes.

"No, no. We're not anything. Just friends since forever," I laughed nervously, "Do you like him? I mean are you into all the obvious flirting, and stuff like that?"

She blushed a little and shook her head tossing her hair around, "No way!…No way. I'm sure he's cool and everything though." She looked at me looking embarrassed out of her mind, "Well this isn't why I brought you up here."

She moved swiftly over to a little wooden box next to her easel. After a complicated unfastening process the little bow opened revealing the pop-up trays of an art set.

"A gift from my father. It's tried and true. For my birthday all I got was canvas, pencils, and this. I guess it's all he knows about me." She reached some of her little fingers to pull out what looked like a fat crayon and handed it to me, "Here. Come on."

Naminé made a few quick long strides over to one of the walls with a crayon of her own in her hand, she drew a long red stripe down the wall and I couldn't help my self from gasping.

"I can't have plain white walls in my studio can I? It's an oil pastel. Totally ruins the walls. But we bought the house." She shook her head then motioned me closer, "Come on, draw something. You won't get in trouble, I promise."

I walked over and touched the tip of the thing to the wall, "Now I can't draw at all, so don't laugh if it looks funny." I drew a quick fish, Jesus-fish style on the wall and gave him a little eye. "Tah-Dah!"

Naminé laughed, "You're not even trying… here." Her little fingers moved in a big arching circle near my fish. Not in a single motion but several that connected. Taking way longer than I did her little arching strokes formed into a big red angler fish devouring my poor little guy. She looked at me daringly.

I made him frown.

She gave him a jet pack.

I put a sword in her fish's side.

She had a mermaid pull it out.

I had a fish eat the mermaid.

She had a fish eat my fish.

I exploded them all.


	3. Chapter 3

This Chapter is a good hmm... thousand or so words shorter than the previous two. Hey you try spitting out four-thousand words every two days. I made it extra fluffy to make up for it. About time right? The truth is that I'm so obsessed with this story that I drew a map of the town they live in, a few frames from last chapter, and a 'cover' for the entire thing. Oh and a Scarlet Lyrical flavored icon. *love*

This chapter is dedicated to two wonderful reveiwers: ~CrystalHearts~ and Aer! Yay you guys!

Disclaimer: Read last chapter's.

* * *

The world of grown-ups is such a scary place, don't you think? Everything used to be so simple; I would go to school and never worry about a car crash on the way there. I would ask a classmate if he wanted to play with me without fear. I gave a boy I liked a kiss on the cheek and we played together on the monkey bars all week. I knew who I liked and I knew who I didn't, no denials, and no complications. Everything just was.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to those times. I'd always know the answer to every problem. And mom and dad would take care of everything. There would be no questions, and there would be no broken hearts. Now, we both know you can never go back. Every little thing is so terribly permanent. You can't just turn the game off and start back up again where you last saved. When you die this time around, it's forever.

Isn't that makes it wonderful though. Shaky fingers, sweaty palms, they are just warning signs, like a metal detector on the beach. I know you might not think so, but if I were still like a little kid and kissed you right on the cheek and just went on with it, I don't think it'd be the same. There is so much sweat and blood between us, so many little red strings, that I know that no matter what happens we will still be connected. It's destin now, there's no escaping.

**~Scarlet Lyrical * Chapter 3~**

It was always easy to tell whose drawings belonged to whom. Her eyes looked more spaced properly. Things were more in porportion. I could tell she really was just trying to fool around, not make everything perfect. I guess she just saw things differently, and drew what she saw.

Naminé gasped. "I have an idea." She puttered over to her box to grab a black pastel and handed it to me. Then she stood with her arms spread out. "Trace me."

"What?" I asked as innocently as possible.

"Just draw my outline." She laughed with that melodic laugh of hers. I looked at the little pastel in my hand. Trace her? My heart started thrumming all of the sudden. With my… hand.

I took a step toward, unusually aware of the sound of my footsteps and how loud my breathing sounded. If I could hear them, could she as well?

Her pretty eyes stayed trained on the wall, smiling. Even though her face was calm, her creamy slender fingers wiggled a little unsettlingly, and she let loose a sound that sounded vaguely like a whine. My whole hand twitched, and without a second thought I stepped forward.

Sometimes I think there are just thoughts and words you don't want to hear, and no matter how obvious or important they are you send them to the back of your mind. Wait until your constitution is better. It's a method of survival.

As my fingers, pastel in hand, passed over a smooth calf, I wondered vaguely at why I felt it was necessary to move so slowly, to let my fingers run over the silken skin. As I reached a taut thigh covered in a little cotton shift of a dress, I wondered why I had to look so closely at my tracings, nose so close to that little leg I could smell the soap she used on her dress. As my hands ran over a slight hip, a gentle waist, I wondered how I was even managing to breathe at all when my throat was so tight. As I traced over the slight swell of a breast I wondered why my fingers were shaking.

I stayed professional. I tried. Thoughts weren't being my friends that day and as much as I tried to ignore the constant welling desire just to touch; it still came through in every movement, in every light carress. Such gorgeous smooth skin, like a pretty silk dress you pass in the store, touching just to touch. Touching because it feels nice. I wanted to run some of her pretty silk skin over my cheek. Like a dress, a dress made of liquid silk.

An arm, that shook ever so slightly with the effort to hold its self up. I over took that next. It seemed impossibly long and slender, and by the time I finally reached the fingertip I had to stop tracing for a moment to wipe the sweat from my hand on my jeans.

Little fingernails on little pudgey fingers. They were so little it hardly to a moment to round them, but the sight of trimmed fingernails rounded and polished expertly stuck in my head with arrogance.

When my sweating, aching fingers reached her bared neck I couldn't help looking at it like a tender piece of cutlery. I inched my face close to it like a masochist and let my breath pepper it.

She shuddered and breathed a shaky breath. I moved quicker, rounding the top of her head with suspicious speed. Her eyes were clenched shut when I reached her face and it sobered me enough to hurry through the rest of the tracing, only lingering once or twice.

I was on my knees kneeling in front of Naminé, the last stroke in her silhouette still pulsing on my fingertips. Still she stayed still as a statue, eye clenched tightly shut. I suddenly got the idea that perhaps she'd been offended or worse, disgusted, and just been too polite to admit it. I felt vaguely like a molester.

"Naminé," I rose to my feet and walked towards her little art box where she kept her pastels, "I'm done now, you can move."

Behind me I heard shuffling and a release of breath. I quickly shoved the little crayon in the box, perhaps a little harder than I should have because it broke. I cursed softly and took in the huskiness of my voice half-heartedly.

I heard Naminé's bare feet scaling over the carpet and stood to my feet. I didn't really want to turn around, but we all must play our parts. I put on an innocuous smile and turned.

Standing in front of me was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, with big liquid eyes, red rosey cheeks, and a solid line of oil pastel running straight down her face. I bit my lip to hold back the laughter bubbling under my lips.

"What's wrong with you?" Naminé asked sounding a little alarmed. Her voice was a little shaky and her cheeks were burning. I just broke out into laughter, as she wrinkled her nose effectively smearing the pastel between her eyebrows into a little star shape.

"What are you laughing at!?!" She was sounding angry. I tried to answer her but then I saw the line stretching up and down her arm as well and almost got hysterical. It was on her dress and legs as well! As if she'd just stepped out of a cartoon. I pointed a shakey finger at her to try and look at her arm or something.

"You're laughing at me!" she huffed then turned around to open the door, eyes caught her hand as it grasped the door knob.

Her hair whipped around so fast I hardly knew she'd turned at all. She looked absolutely mischievous looking back at me. "So, you think that's funny do you?" Her sweet little voice just couldn't sound threatening. I couldn't stop laughing so just taunted her with a wayward nod.

The little girl was straddling me quick, her little red pastel back in her hand. I squirmed and wiggled still lost in a fit of laughter as she started marking all over my face with it. I tried to make out the word 'Stop' but every time I tried I couldn't make it louder than the constant stream of immature giggling. She started working on my neck and hoodie as well.

"What? I can't hear you," A little pleasant laugh escaped her lips. She moved down towards my ear and I stopped wiggling at her closeness and almost stopped laughing too, "Just say the word," her voice came out husky and seductive and it tickled my ear.

"What's going on in here?" I think I almost choked on my tongue when I heard that voice. Impulsively I shoved Naminé off me letting her land ungracefully on her side. I shut my mouth tight, nothing was funny now.

"You girls look like you've been having a great time, maybe I should have stayed here with you," Riku walked into the room swinging his hips like a girl, "Nice look by the way." He gave me a wink.

"What are you doing back already?" I was surprised to hear Naminé's voice beside me. I looked at her, red as a tomato.

"It's not like it's an elephant or anything. It's a piano. A piano with wheels," he sighed and sat down beside me, "And when we got back you lot were making such a ruckus I thought I'd check on you." Riku paused and picked at my hoodie, "Oh, look. You're all dirty."

"Do you mind? I mean we're obviously kind of busy." Naminé said in her sweat little voice, and made a gesture towards me.

"Yeah, Riku. If we wanted to play with you, you'd have been invited," I cast him a smug smile and put an arm around Naminé's waist with only a moment's hesitation. She copied the gesture and spit out her tongue.

"Go away." She squeaked and wiggled her fingers to make me laugh.

"You know I'd be able to take you too a lot more seriously if you weren't covered in little crayon marks." He shrugged and walked towards the door, "Bye, Naminé." He gave her a little wave then left with a laugh.

We stayed silent for about a full five seconds before breaking out in laughter. I'd dropped my grip on her, but her fingers still lingered.

"Oh man, you look so ridiculous!" She giggled into her free hand for a second before using it to try to wipe at my cheek.

"You don't look so courtly yourself." I copied her movements and tried to wipe the pastel from her face, only succeeding in smearing it more. Maybe if I'd rubbed harder it would have come off.

Naminé suddenly seemed to notice she still had one of her hands clasped at my waist and moved it with a quick jerk to her lap. She settled both hands there, clasped neat and composed. I stopped touching her.

"Um, Kairi? Would you like some clothes to wear, or a shower? I've gotten you all dirty. Sorry." Her pretty eyes were staring at her hands.

"Hey, it's okay." I patted one of her hands with all the grace of a five-year-old, "I got you dirty first."

She looked up at me and smiled, "You're really sweet, you know that?" I must have made an odd face because she laughed and looked down shyly, "and cute."

And cute? Cute? Cute! She told me that she thought _I _was cute! I didn't brush my hair this morning, I'm wearing some of Riku's deodorant, I'm in a phase were I'm violently protesting make-up, and I haven't shaved my legs in three days. And she thinks I'm cute?

Somehow we pealed ourselves off of the carpet and across the hall to a little bathroom that didn't even have tooth brushes in it, let alone any soap to scrub at ourselves with. I took my hoodie off so we could use it to at least create some friction. I had a not-so-modest moderately see-through white tank top on underneath at the very least. It didn't take too long for me to get clean. The stuff came off surprisingly easy.

I followed thin sallow legs as they scaled across the carpet. Toe, heel, toe, heel. They hardly made any noise to let me know she was more than simply a visage. I was always walking behind her admiring that strange almost feline swaying of the hips, or the way her pink toes came to a point before they touched down.

Where were we going? I knew that she'd told me but I was busy watching a stray droplet of water cling onto her little pointed chin and forgot for a moment that words could come out of her pretty little mouth. My feet followed hers adroitly. Her room, yes her room to change. Because she was dirty and my bra was showing.

She pulled open the door like a doorman and held it open for me, close to her shallow chest, eyes down until I passed, then walked into the room backwards until it clicked and locked. Naminé preceded across the room drop-dead-silent as she open a little closet door with the same precision of a professional. Her graceful fingers perused over a large row of clothing, sliding them over a solid iron bar. Metal to metal, the screech was close to being sobering.

The little fingers hit something pleasing with a barely audible sound of approval from their owner. A delicate little "hmm." She took a small lacy dress from its hanger, barely tinged a light blue.

"Can you turn around?" her little voice squeaked somewhere beyond her impenetrable fortress of hair. Naminé didn't turn back towards me though. I wanted to play the old card, the 'We're all girls here.' even though it didn't seem to have the least bit of relevance all of the sudden. I turned around without a word.

There was a brisk shuffle as she undressed herself. I knew that right behind me Naminé was half-naked and clenched my eyes shut, lest I turn toward her. Such an odd mixture of want and not.

She changed quickly and I felt a tremor at every rustle at every sound of skin over skin.

"Now I get to dress you up." She laughed, giving me a cue to turn around, which I did hesitantly. In her hands was of course something I would never wear, but I never said so. Wearing something she had once worn was more than enough reason for me, even if it looked like a lacey red bib sewn onto an even lacier red shirt. I told her she was responsible for any psychological terror inflicted on a passerby if I happened to walk in front of a fire truck.

Still how could I say no, when she was so happy. I'd just have to get her in something of mine later. See what she looks like outside of her dollhouse


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ah! Sorry I'm late! I got all wrapped up in a Buffy-a-thon. Heh. I checked the other day and noticed that after all that complaining I did about there only being 6 pages of Kairi x Naminé stuff that this fic actually was the one that brought us to 7 pages! Woohoo! We reached our goal already! Next goal is for eight. Everyone get your typing fingers ready.

Dedicated to Aer and adorabletheodore.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

There's just something about women. The way they walk, the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they cry. I used to think about my mother and Sora's mother and other women I knew in a strange way. They slept with men. They kissed men. They washed dishes for men. I couldn't imagine why any one would want to do any of those things. It seemed so degrading and also so inevitable. Would I end up crooning under some man, telling him how special he was because he was born with a penis?

Sure I liked plenty of boys. Sora and Riku were my best friends and I imagined my self with either of them intermittently. I loved them. But the idea of being "the girl" was always that inescapable dread. I hated that I loved men the most when they behaved like girls were supposed to, sensitive, and that everyone myself included thought they were special for it. Why couldn't I have been born a boy? I would have been a great one, considerate, handsome, and doting. I could have any woman I wanted. Sometimes I think I was born with the heart of a boy.

Maybe I'm too concerned with appearances. When I think of girls being with other girls I think "Do they think they're boys?" Do they both want to fuck like boys? Do they want to strap colorful dildos to themselves and rut? It was so silly. I was so disillusioned. I'd never loved someone like that before. I didn't know that 'making love' to someone wasn't about personal identities, or what it looked like, it's about showing someone how much you loved them.

**~Scarlet Lyrical * Chapter 4 ~**

"Where are we going?" Naminé flipped and flopped sweetly over the crackled pavement on the Back Street, "Are we even allowed back here?"

Essentially you could divide the town we lived in into four sectors. Downtown, where I lived, the "suburbs", where Sora, Riku, and Naminé lived, the factories, and the Back Street. The Back Street was a long row of ancient houses on a fifty-some year-old street with the original brick showing through in some places. These homes used to be seaside, the homes of fishermen and vendors. Then came big money business men, building branches of their factories on our cornfields and a dam. The water was brought back over forty meters. Suddenly the seaside fishermen of the Back Street had homes bordering on a nice open field. Zoning laws prevented it from becoming the site of anything productive. For kids like us it was a place to escape to.

Riku, Sora, Naminé, and I squeezed our way between two homes of people we knew to not own guns and into the field. The sun was getting low by now. Out in the distance only the orange haze of a sun could be seen.

"Not that this isn't nice or anything, but why are we out here so late?" Naminé crossed her arms stiffly. She shivered.

"Well, since we're all buddy-buddy now. We decided to put you through initiation," Riku smiled as he wriggled out of his coat and laid it on top of her shoulders. She didn't make a move to put her arms in the sleeves.

"Since when is there and initiation?" Sora piqued up and shuffled over towards me, rustling damp grass all the while. His hands were stuffed rather stiffly in his pockets, "This isn't just an excuse for an orgy is it?"

"What are you talking about?" Riku slipped one of his pretty arms around Naminé's shoulders, "I'd stay away from that one if I were you. He's got a dirty mind."

"Yeah, I'll bet." She giggled and shrugged his arms off while giving me a sly look.

"Shut up Riku. You're such a prick sometimes," Sora started walking towards the dam, "Would sell your best friend down the river to get laid."

"What are you so pissed about? I was just kidding around." Riku jogged up besides Sora to talk with him while they walked.

"That's just it. The minute a girl walks into the picture, I'm a laughing stock." Sora walked faster, "I should be a little more important than someone you just met."

Naminé silently started to slip her fingers into the sleeves of the dark jacket and watched as Sora and Riku started to become harder and harder to spot in the gathering darkness.

"Sorry if I caused you any trouble." Her fingers curled around the sleeves, "I can go if you want."

I smiled, "Don't worry about them. They are just being over dramatic. Besides, there's a real reason we brought you out here."

Naminé smiled her sweet smile that creeped into her eyes. I imagined her at sixty-years-old with a delicate web of wrinkles around her pretty blue eyes and laugh lines. They looked good on her.

"We must be freaking you out. What with the barging into your house and dragging you out here." I smiled a little, "We're a small town. They don't teach you about boundaries in a small town."

"No! I like it. Boundaries are lonely." She looked down in that endearing way of hers, "You can come around anytime you want. I don't mind."

"Really!" My voice came out more enthusiastic than I would have liked and I swallowed it," I--_we _will do that. All the time. Every day. Well not every day. Unless you want every day."

She swayed from side to side, "When ever you want. I'd love to see you." Naminé finally lifted her eyes from the ground and looked to me shyly. "You had something to show me remember.

I remember hearing something once about when two people meet for the first time the reaction is like chemicals. Sometimes its violent, spreading chaos and destruction to everything it touches. Sometimes it does absolutely nothing. Other times it's like magnesium in the flame, a brilliant white light that scars the back of your eyelids with its shadow for days. And by god Naminé was blinding.

It was getting darker by the minute. I tried playing that childish game where I watched the sky hoping to catch some movement, and seeing nothing but a back drop.

We walked side by side in silence for all of about two seconds.

"What's your favorite color?" Naminé asked with a squeak after narrowly avoiding a large clump of brush. She laughed a little, "It can tell you a lot about a person's personality."

"Red. I like bright red, like cherry red." I smiled and looked towards her walking a little slower, "What's that say about me?"

Naminé stopped dead in her tracks and looked to her toes, "It means… you're unpredictable, wild . . . Passionate. Such a silly thing any way. I was hoping you wouldn't say red."

"Why, do you have a _passionate _dislike for the color or something?" I smiled to her, but she kept looking at her feet solemnly.

"No, no passionate dislike," she just sighed and looked up," I had a great line for blue though, but I guess now you'll never find that out." Naminé gave me the most adorable little wink that brought all the blood in my body up to my cheeks. I hoped it was dark enough that she wouldn't see. I knew it wasn't.

"Naminé?" I scooted closer to her, trying to be brave, "You going to tell me about your color?" Her long shadowy eyelashes grazed her cheeks softly. They reminded me of a doll's eyelashes, long and impossible. And interpretation of the ideal little girl.

"Me?" She smiled a little half smile, "I'm red too. Perfect match."

"Unpredictable," I moved impossible close to he feeling her breath over my face, "Wild," Her sweet eyes stayed lazily open, scanning over my face, "Passionate." I ran a stray hand to her folded jacket sleeve and rolled it around in my fingers.

"What ever are a pair of us to do?" Her little voice cracked slightly. She sighed and closed her eyes. A bubbling laugh escaped her lips and rolled around in the air. She opened her eyes shyly gazing through blonde bangs.

"Uh, we could," I licked my lips wearily and used the opening to enable more breathing. Suddenly all my breath had escaped me. "We could… come on!"

I don't know what I was thinking really. Wild? Unpredictable? Passionate? Maybe. Stupid? Definitely.

Before my thoughts, my reason, could catch up with the rest of me, I felt my feet slamming against the ground, the sleeve of a coat still clamped between my fingers. Luckily she followed, sliding her graceful fingers out of the too big sleeve and grasping my hand. I almost tripped.

Up the hill. It seemed like forever just to get to the water. Even worse we were going part side ways, and Naminé had flimsy little flip-flops on. Always dressing so daintily, so impractical. I loved it.

At the top of the hill, the pinnacle of the dam we were greeted by a sea of orange. Every drop was solid, neon, glowing orange water. It looked impossible, it looked like magic.

"Told you there was a reason." There was cement under our feet now. The dam. The sunsets there were always spectacular. I sometimes felt as though this place was the edge of the world, it actually made me understand how someone could think that the world was flat. I could imagine sailing away until I fell off the edge.

"Did I ever tell you that I hate orange?" Naminé whispered softly, "I've always thought that it was an obnoxious color. It's too hard on the eyes." she laughed a bubbly laugh and squeezed my fingers. I hadn't noticed our fingers were still intertwined and lit up like a candle. Her fingers were so warm and impossibly sot. I thought that they might brand me if I ever dared to let go, even though I couldn't think of a reason why I'd ever do a thing like that.

"Wanna swim in it?" I laughed at her scrunched up face, "It'll be like a baptism. Give us a piece of the hated enemy orange and be a complete rainbow."

She kicked her shoes off and made a determined face, "Okay." She smiled her sweet side-ways smile, "Into the fray."

I had a much harder time removing my shoes, without letting go of her hand. I was afraid that it was painfully obvious that I was trying to keep her within my grasp. I thought I even heard her giggle a little.

"Ready to get wet and cold?" Naminé asked with a little wiggling of her fingers, "And reborn?"

I squeezed her hand desperately, "I could go for the rebirth part," my voice was shaky and shallow.

"On three." She breathed out her pinched mouth and gave me a pretty little nod.

"One." Her pretty fingers swiftly slipped out of my iron grip and wrapped around my middle. I copied the gesture.

"Two." She turned towards me, breath grazing over my cheek. I couldn't help but look to her too. And by god our lips were so close.

"Three!" We hit the water hard and I didn't even know that I'd jumped. The cold was anything but sobering. It felt as though we'd fallen through the rabbit hole or into a birthday cake. I surfaced from the water to nothing but pure solid sunlight and Naminé, a floating head amongst it, still holding me close, only now with two arms.

I used one arm to hold onto the dam wall to hold us afloat and the other to pluck hair out of our faces while she clung to me like a drowning kitten. I let the hand rest on the back of her shoulder when it ran out of work.

"Kairi?" Naminé asked quietly and touched her forehead on mine.

I closed my eyes, "Yeah?"

"I really, _really _like you." She said with a small voice.

"Yeah, me too."


End file.
